


The Hobbit Merman

by Alx_GG



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Little merman sort of, M/M, will add more characters, will be multichapter, will not follow little mermaid story line a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2018-04-22 12:19:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4835084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alx_GG/pseuds/Alx_GG
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merman Bilbo rescues a human, Thorin, that fell over a ship on a storm<br/>He is injured and Bilbo is resolute on helping him recover but he doesn't realize how dangerous it is until he starts to develop feelings for him</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ships and Storms

A shadow moved in the remains of a broken ship, it moved from room to room until he found his prize, he smiled brightly and just a little bit mischievously

“There you are!” A voice said that startled the merman but one he knew all too well

“Mom!” Bilbo Baggins, son of Belladonna Baggins nee Took and Bungo Baggins, Thrain of Hobbiton, yelled in annoyance

“I’ve been looking all over for you!” She said “Now what have you found?” She asked and Bilbo showed her the fork

“My my, this is a beautiful piece! One more for our collection” She said

“I thought the same!” Bilbo said and smiled

Their talk was cut short when a noise was heard

“Oh dear, it seems Azog is near” Belladonna said and she and her son fled just in time when suddenly the massive white shark started giving them chase

Her mother led him and she seemed to know exactly were to go, which she did because not too long a flash of light came that made the shark flee, the light faded and in came the figure of a very annoyed Bungo Baggins 

“What were you thinking leaving like that!” Bungo said

“My darling!” Belladonna said and went to kiss her husband’s cheek “I knew you would come for us, besides, this time I did left a note”

“You left a ‘Gone to stranded ship, love B.B.’ on a piece of seaweed!” Bungo said, his tone getting gentler with each kiss from his wife “You have any idea how many stranded ships are here? And you had to chose the one that is closest to Azog!”

“In our defense, we didn’t know he was here, we thought he headed south with the others” Bilbo said

“We all did until a scout yesterday told me otherwise, now let’s go back home, a storm seems to be coming and human ships have been spotted and you know how those sharks are just waiting to catch something” Bungo said with an arm over her overly adventurous wife and an eye following his son

-

Thorin was pissed, more than pissed, he truly hated life right now.

His father, the Crown Prince of Erebor, had insisted that as a future King he had to learn all of the military disciplines known to man, Thorin was already the Commander of the Army and didn’t want to enter the Navy but his father forced him anyway, that is why he was on a freaking ship in the middle of nowhere and to add to his misery, a storm was raging over them.

He was drenched, dizzy and he could do nothing but try to stay on the boat and save the ship and crew from hitting the nearby rocks but the storm was relentless and it took one hit to send Thorin flying over the edge of the ship.

Yes, he truly hated life right now and he hoped his father realized that perhaps the Navy wasn’t for him, you know, after it killed him!

That was the last conscious thought Thorin had before hitting the water and fainting

-

The thunder from the storm could be heard all the way to the Shire, despite it being underwater and below a few layers of rock, they always heard them but never saw them, they stayed inside the protection their gates offered, no one but a merman could pass.

Bilbo wanted to see a storm up close but those were nasty things, his father would say, filled with unpredictable water currents that could send a merman far from home, but Bilbo was what they called, a fool of a Took, so he went to the entrance on the south, it was more like a backdoor no one used and crossed the gate

The Gates were no more than a thin layer of translucent looking liquid that would become solid and completely white if anyone not allowed tried to enter, for a Merman like Bilbo, he didn’t even felt it as he passed through.

When Bilbo reached the surface he realized the currents were truly strong, he had a hard time just staying still, he decided to stay back in between the mangrove like rocks near the entrance and grab onto one of them, the rest of the rocks would break the waves and Bilbo would have to struggle less, what mesmerized him though, were the lightning, the blinding flash of light, the different shapes a single one could make, the intense roar of the lighting, Bilbo was overwhelmed by nature’s display of power and reminded Bilbo of his own small size, his thought were interrupted when he heard something like screams and in the next flash of light he saw it, a human ship, and incredibly, he saw the exact moment one of them went overboard and landed on the wild ocean

'you know how those sharks are just waiting to catch something'

His father’s voice sounded in Bilbo’s ears and before he knew what he was doing he plunged into the open sea to search for the man before it was too late.


	2. Meeting my rescuer

Trying to swim in the middle of the storm was a hard job for Bilbo, he didn’t even knew how to find the human in the darkness of the night, for a moment he got lost himself, a wave nearly made him crash against the rocks but then for a brief moment, the clouds opened and the light of the moon allowed Bilbo to see his target, without wanting to lose the light Bilbo swam as fast as he could and grab hold of the human.

Bilbo reached the surface but his mission became worst for he now had to swim with the weight of the human and the rage of the storm, he got more nervous when he was sure he saw some movement

Azog

Bilbo had no other choice so he looked at the man, he seemed handsome under the poor light but all Bilbo had to do was find his lips, when he did he gave the unconscious man a soft kiss on the lips and then he let go of him

A merman’s kiss will allow you to breathe underwater so Bilbo took one arm and swam as fast as he could into the protection of the rocks and the low shore no longer worried of drowning the man he was trying to save

Bilbo knew exactly were to take him, the south entrance was a big cove made of the mangrove like rocks and in the middle was a small piece of land you could barely call an island but still it was big enough to have a few palm trees, there Bilbo placed the man

He knew that what he did was dangerous, after all he took him to the very entrance of the merman realm, one that humans have killed to get to know the location but only a handful have succeeded, Bilbo didn’t know what this man was doing here, it occurred to him now that these human may have been here in an attempt to locate the entrance, and he just took one of them exactly over it, Bilbo’s musings ended when he heard a groan, it was to late to go and he needed to know who this man was

Thorin opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a pair of curious green eyes 

“Oh great, I’m dead” he said and looked back at the sky in defeat “Well at least I got a very nice angel to welcome me” He said looking back at Bilbo with a smile

Bilbo blushed and looked away with a frown

“You are not dead” Bilbo said “I rescued you”

Thorin couldn’t believe his luck, not only had he survived but he had encountered a golden-haired angel 

“Then you have my thanks, although I can’t imagine how a tiny thing like you could have save me, you don’t look like you could stand a wave” Thorin said and tried to sit up

Bilbo couldn’t believe this man

“Of course I can! I am a merman!” Bilbo said and started waging his tail “This is much more powerful on water than those useless things you call legs!” Bilbo suddenly froze, so much for anonymity 

Thorin also froze and looked at Bilbo, his eyes locked on his tail

“You are a mermaid!” Thorin said astonished

“Excuse me! Merman if you please! I thought you humans knew the difference between male and female” Bilbo said annoyed, well at least Thorin looked surprised, perhaps he wasn’t here to catch mermans

“I’m sorry, we usually just call ‘mermaid’ to the lot of you” Thorin said with a smug smile

Bilbo only seemed to fume even more which in turn made Thorin laugh but pain from his side stopped him with a groan, Bilbo wanted to do his own smug smile but he knew better than to laugh at someone else’s pain, even if he was a pain himself

Thorin touched his side and was meet with blood, Bilbo was closer in a instant and checked the wound

“We need to clean this up before it gets infected, take off your clothes” Bilbo said and started to think which sea plants could do the job, he looked back and saw Thorin’s eyebrows had shot up looking at him with disbelief

“Well if you are that desperate” Thorin started

Bilbo’s face started to get a little red from rage

“If you are going to keep behaving like that I’m leaving!” Bilbo said and made a move to leap back into the water but Thorin’s hand on his wrist stopped him

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was an ass, I know what you meant by that and I thank you for your help” Thorin said and started to get his clothes off with difficulty, Bilbo helped him get the top off and saw that his clothing was really heavy, how can humans walk around with such weight on them? 

Thorin removed his own trousers and left his undergarments, he then let himself fall back into the sand, the effort making his side burn, which was a good thing because he missed how Bilbo’s eyes traced every single move his muscles made, it took Bilbo a few seconds before he finally tore his eyes away from the man’s body when he realized he was still bleeding.

He took the man’s undershirt and ripped it into straps, he helped Thorin into a sitting position and bandaged his abdomen

Bilbo, ever the intelligent being, chose to place himself behind Thorin, otherwise he would see his redden face because, damn, his arms could barely reach Thorin’s torso completely and sort of hugged him every time and got in contact with those muscles than he confirmed were very very firm, Thorin was too much in pain to even try to notice Bilbo but he liked the small contact he had with the merman

“You will have to stay like that for a while” Bilbo said “I need to search for plants to treat your wound but I will be back”

Thorin’s head immediately shot up “You are leaving?” he said with a worried and a little panicked expression

“I am but just to get something for your wound” Bilbo saw Thorin’s expression didn’t change “I promise I’ll come back, I jumped into a storm to rescue you and I have bandaged your wound, I think you can trust me I will come back” Bilbo finished with a reassuring smile, one that Thorin returned

“Alright, be right back!” Bilbo said and headed back to the water

“Wait!” Thorin’s voice stopped him and he looked back

“What’s your name? You are saving my life and I don’t even know your name” Thorin said

“Bilbo, my name is Bilbo Baggins, and it’s no big deal, really” 

“Thorin, Thorin Durin, and it is a big deal, for me at least” Thorin said sheepishly 

“Thank you, Bilbo” he said in a more serious tone

“Don’t thank me just yet” Bilbo said and plunged into the water


	3. Your world

Thorin stayed there and looked around, the cove’s exit was surrounded by a light mist and Thorin could see some sharp rocks meaning you couldn’t get here just by chance so this little mermaid was telling the truth

He couldn’t believe it, a mermaid! well, merman, they were real! Thorin was more on the side of people being crazy and seasick that saw beautiful women with tantalizing voices and sudden need for sailors, that is one of the reasons Thorin wasn’t fond of being on the navy, people just went crazy, next thing you know he would be getting drunk on rum and seeing dragons and fairies and all sorts of stuff, now he had to rethink whether or not all those crazy people were really crazy

His mind wander back to the merman, he didn’t have an ethereal kind of beauty but he was certainly beautiful, not the traditional sort but there was something in him that drove Thorin towards him, now he only hoped the merman wouldn’t suddenly grow sharp teeth and try to eat him alive

'Bilbo' his mind supplied 'His name is Bilbo'

“Bilbo” Thorin liked the way it sounded, he didn’t look like the kind of merman that lived on human flesh so Thorin relaxed and let sleep take over him under the shade of a palm tree.

He woke up on nimble fingers working on his side, he opened his eyes and saw that the merman was cleaning his wound with a very concentrated face

“Hi” Thorin said and startled Bilbo which made the later accidentally apply more pressure on Thorin’s wound and making him grunt in pain

“I’m so sorry!” Bilbo said “But you scared me! How long have you been awake?”

“Just woke” Thorin managed still with pain

“Sorry” Bilbo said and continued, they stayed silent, Bilbo only asking Thorin to sit up so he could re bandage him

“I went back outside” Bilbo said in a quiet voice

“You did? What did you see?” Thorin asked

“I’m sorry but I found nothing, no ships or anything” Bilbo said in sadness

“It’s alright, something tells me they will come back” Thorin said

“You have many good friends then” Bilbo said, his cheer returning

“You could said that” While his family, Balin and Dwalin would be worried about him, the main reason could be that he was part of the Royal Family but he preferred not to touch that topic

“Done” Bilbo said and left Thorin’s side “You will have to stay here until your injuries are healed but I will scout everyday and then take you to a ship”

“No!” Thorin said and Bilbo flinched “I mean, you better not expose yourself, just look at the ships and when you see one with this insignia on their flag then you take me there” Thorin showed Bilbo the coat of arms that was in his coat

“That’s alright, count on me!” Bilbo said cheerfully

“You seem in a better mood today” Thorin said with a smile making Bilbo blush slightly

“I may be, that depends on you really”

“And what can a simple sailor like me offer for your happiness? oh fair merman” Thorin said and Bilbo’s blush grew on his face

“You are a human, so you must know what’s going on out there” Bilbo said

“Seeing as I grew up there then yes I know a thing or two, but please don’t call me a human, that is more reserved to speak about men, I am a dwarf”

Bilbo looked at Thorin as if he had grown three heads

“So you’re not a man” Bilbo said carefully

“No I’m not, I’m a dwarf”

Bilbo stayed silent

“Um, this may seem awkward, and you don’t have to answer but um, what does it mean to be a dwarf?” Bilbo asked

“What?”

“Um, do you have both down there?” Bilbo said with a blush and gave a look to Thorin’s crotch and looked away 

Thorin looked down but then in dawned to him

“No no! I am a male! I’m fully male, I’m just not a man”

Bilbo looked just as confused and Thorin sighed

“Dwarves are the greatest creatures in the land, we live in mountains and are experts on mining and forging, we are a proud and sturdy race and also the wealthiest” Thorin said proud filling each word and increasing with how Bilbo’s eyes lit when he heard about the world of two-legged people

“You should feel quite grateful, I am one of the strongest and tallest of us dwarves so if you really want to know how a true dwarf looks you just need to watch me” Thorin said and lifted an arm only to feel the pain of his wound “Perhaps not now, but I assure you I can swing an axe with enough force to knock an orcs head clean off”

Bilbo laughed and Thorin was mesmerized by the sound, Bilbo took no notice and kept questioning Thorin

“So how are men then? Do you tower over them?” Bilbo said with so much hope that it broke Thorin’s heart and left a bile taste in his mouth

“Um, actually they are taller than us, some twice our size, they are the big people but really they are just oversized, cheap copies of us, they try to do the same as us but they can’t live in a mountain, they make towns right beside our mountains to get some of our riches and they offer us their knowledge of the land that gives us food” 

“You dwarves sound amazing!” Bilbo said and Thorin held his chin even higher “But I’ve never seen anyone bigger than you, in fact none of us merman’s have, you are all about the same size”

“That is probably because these waters are for the Dwarven Navy, I don’t know how much your people travel but if you have never seen a man it’s because you are in Dwarven waters, Men occupy another part”

“That is amazing! You must be right, we usually never venture to the surface and if we do it’s close to the entrances, only the adventurous mermans go as far as the stranded ships farther south

“Oh yes, there must be a few down there, there was a great battle amongst these waters, many lives and ships were gone, along with my great great grandfather”

“I’m sorry to hear that” Bilbo said

“You shouldn’t be, he died with honor and he saved the lives of thousands of people when he blew up his ship, sending dozens of enemy ships alongside with him”

Bilbo looked expectantly at Thorin

“I’m not certain you would want to hear about an old tale of battles long past”

Bilbo got closer to the palm tree’s shade so he could comfortably lay on his stomach looking at Thorin with wide eyes filled with wonder

“Well it all began when the orcs tried to cross our border by sea since they failed to cross by land, um orcs are just very bad smelling creepy creatures and they are bad…”

Thorin’s voice carried Bilbo into another world, they stayed the afternoon and Bilbo only left when the sun started to leave and he knew his parents will soon look for him but he promised Thorin to return since he wanted Thorin to look at some object he and his mum found that were causing quite a stir among land people enthusiast, some say it’s for hair grooming other say it’s an eating utensil


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding time!  
> This chapter is NOT beta'd!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably get back to it once my beta does her magic and change it to what she does but in the meantime enjoy my usual crappy writting

“For the last time, we use brushes for hair, forks for food” Thorin said exasperated

“But they look the same!” Bilbo said for the fifth time

“Yes but we use one only for our hair to avoid eating it!” Thorin said

“Okay, how about this one?” Bilbo said taking yet another thing from a chest he had brought over for Thorin to inspect

“That’s a candle holder” Thorin said and Bilbo placed his fork on the candlestick

“What’s a candle?” Bilbo said and Thorin moved the fork from the candlestick

“We make a fire on them and they keep it for a couple of hours so they can give us light” 

“Will you show me fire sometime soon?” Bilbo said eagerly

“Yes if you want but we must be cautious” Thorin said

“I’m very cautious, it comes from my Baggins side of the family” 

“Baggins?” 

“Bilbo Baggins, son of Bungo Baggins” Bilbo said happily

“Then what side is the one that swims in the middle of storms and rescues helpless sailors that have gone overboard?” Thorin said with a chuckle as Bilbo blushed prettily

“That would be my Took side, from my mom, Belladona Baggins nee Took”

“Why are you so interested in the world of the surface? I’m sure underwater is just as impressive”

“Because of my mom really, she always told me her stories of peeking into the surface and watching countless of marvelous things, and aren’t you curious about my world?”

“I may be, but not enough to stick my head inside the water to try and take a peek” Thorin said and then grimaced, his hand flying to his side

“How is your wound?” Bilbo said worringly

“It’s getting better, I just have been sitting far too long” Thorin grunted and gently laid down

He was looking at the sky when Bilbo’s head peeked in his line of sight

“I should probably take a look but in the mean time, what is this?” Bilbo brought up a pipe in front of Thorin’s face and started wagging it

“I’m glad your first priority is my injury” Thorin said sarcasticaly

“Oh it’s just a scratch and you aren’t bleeding or feverish, I think you are coherent enough to answer me” Bilbo frowned “So what is it?”

Thorin felt Bilbo’s gentle fingers probing his bandages 

“That is something that I sorely need” Thorin answered, he felt the fingers go still 

“It’s a pipe” Thorin continued and so did the fingers “We use them to smoke”

“Smoke? Isn’t that what fire makes? I thought it was toxic” 

“It is, if the fire is burning large quantities of wood or grass but in the pipe, right here…” Thorin put his finger in the hollowed side “…we place certain herbs in small portiones and their smoke has calming qualities when we inhale it, right trough here” Thorin pointed at the end of the pipe

“You’re right, you might need one now” Bilbo said sounding worried

“Is it bad?” Thorin said

“It’s not healing as quickly as it should have, maybe if I use a different herb, a more potent one may do the trick! Tomorrow I’ll bring you some but now I think you should rest” Bilbo said and started to leave but was stopped by Thorin’s hand grabbing his own

“Thank you, for helping me” Thorin said, he wasn’t looking at Bilbo and kept staring at the sky, his wound would bother him if he tried to move anything else but his arm

Bilbo blushed deeply and was glad Thorin didn’t see him, in a moment of courage Bilbo turned his hand and squeezed Thorin’s

“It’s nothing really and you are repaying me with all you know about the surface” Bilbo said and Thorin chuckled

\- Inside the Shire (underwater) -

Bilbo had waited until the late hours to look for the weed that will make Thorin feel better, he hadn’t told anyone about the huma- dwarf, he was taking care of, after all, surface beings were a bit of a taboo in the Shire, no one ever ventured up and it was consider dangerous, his mother and he had already a bad reputation because of their fascination on the surface’s beings and no one really knew about their collection of items! So there was absolutely no way he was telling about Thorin.

Thorin…

Bilbo sighed as he looked for the herb in the massive collection of weeds in the infermary

Thorin…

He was certainly something else, he was witty and funny when he wanted, but above all, he was very patient with Bilbo, everyone always got exasperated with Bilbo’s non stopping questions but Thorin always answered them and while he sometimes groaned or complained, he always ended up answering him with a gentle smile

A beautiful smile with eyes full of mirth and wonder…

 _Ugh! Get yourself together!_ Bilbo shook his head and continued looking

“Mister Bilbo?” A familiar voice said 

Bilbo flinched and was quick to turn

“Hamfast! What are you doing here?” Bilbo said with an uneasy smile

“Um, I could ask you the same” Hamfast said but Bilbo kept smiling at him “I- I was just leaving a few weeds that Mrs. Pimpernel needed” He finished and it was when Bilbo noticed he was carrying a few 

“Are you well Mr. Bilbo?” Hamfast said with a true concerned expression

“Oh no! Don’t worry I am in quite a healthy state!” Bilbo was quick to reassure his friend “Actually I was looking for you”

“For me?” Hamfast said surprised

“Yes! At first it was just to spend the time but then I remember reading about a certain seaweed…” Bilbo said as he lead Hamfast away

Everybody knew that Bilbo was always reading about this or that so it was not unusual for him to come up with random questions on all sort of topics

“I know were they grow” Hamfast said

“Really?!” 

“Yes, it’s the reason we don’t have much around, they grow near the volcanic gardens, usually we wait for a few weeks to let the plant grow far away the dangerous bits and then a group gathers and picks them all up, right now I reckon they will let them grow another week or two before going”

“That is very interesting indeed” Bilbo said thoughtfully

“Um, but this is just curiosity right? No one is really injured” Hamfast said worridly

“Yes yes! Purely academic. my friend” Bilbo replied with the most sincere smile he could muster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I don't forget to change the chapter once I get the nice new one


	5. Let me help you too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More bonding time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have 2 more popular bagginshield stories I should probably update but inspiration comes however she likes and this time it came here!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Not Beta'd

Bilbo was diligently bandaging Thorin’s wound, he had barely greeted Thorin and went straight to healing with a deep concentration

“What is this?” Thorin asked and pointed at a bracelet Bilbo was wearing

“Oh just a little something I found” Bilbo brushed it off quickly

“Really?” Thorin asked but Bilbo just nodded without meeting his eyes

Thorin casually moved his arm and brushed Bilbo’s bracelet, only for him to wince 

“That is not nothing” Thorin gently grabbed Bilbo’s hand and with the other he slowly moved the bracelet away only to see a red mark covering almost all of Bilbo’s wrist

“It’s just a burn” Bilbo said

“If it was something small, why would you hide it from me?” Thorin looked right at Bilbo but the later kept looking down “You didn’t got this because of this new plant you are treating me with, right?” Thorin asked but Bilbo just looked away

“Bilbo, I appreciate your help, truly, but please be careful, I truly hate seeing you hurt because of me” Thorin said and with his thumb he gave a small caress to Bilbo’s hand that he hadn’t let go off

“It’s really just a burn” Bilbo said with blushed cheeks “The cold of the water has already lowered the swelling and I brought over some salve for it” 

He took it out of his little bag and Thorin immediately took it from his hands

“I can do it later today, really” Bilbo said trying to get his salve back

“You have helped me enough, please let me return the favor, as small as it is” Thorin said and extended his hand

With a blush still high on his cheeks, Bilbo placed his hand on Thorin’s and allowed him to rub the salve over his wrist

He tried not to think how his blush lasted the rest of the day or how he felt his heart hammer against his chest 

- 

Bilbo was back at home and staring at his bandaged wrist, he could still feel Thorin’s thick calloused fingers that were surprisingly gentle, and he would lightly blush at the memory, shaking his head he placed his bracelet back to hide the bandage, and just in time

“Bilbo, my dear!” Belladonna entered his room

“Good evening mom!” Bilbo greeted her

“Good night you mean, it’s already late and I haven’t seen you all day” Belladonna said and Bilbo tried to keep a straight face

“You haven’t even asked me to go to any ships in more than a week!” 

“Well that is because Father has told us not to keep going” Bilbo said casually

“And when have we ever listened to your father?” Belladonna said exhasperated

Bilbo just smiled

“I was just distracted at the cave, I really would like to decipher the use of things before I bring any more” Bilbo explained

“So that is how you keep coming up with such crazy ideas about them” His mom smiled knowingly

“I swear to you mom! I know that is for food! It has to be!”

“But it’s so much practical as a comb! And what could they have that would need such an object?”

“I told you! Their food is probably not soft, they don’t have water to do it for them! And it’s so tiny! I bet they probably have larger ones! I mean have you seen them?! They have hair all over!”

“Well yes I have but not too close, you haven’t been close to them, have you?” Belladonna said slowly

“Ah, no no, but their hair really sticks out” Bilbo explained quickly

“That they do, but still”, Belladonna looked seriously at Bilbo “There is a reason why I let you go to stranded ships, they are _stranded,_ there are no humans there, we don’t know how any of them would react to our presence and I would hate for you to get hurt or worse just for some curiosity” 

“Yes mom”

“Good, well that aside, Good night, my boy, we’ll plan our next adventure when you are ready” Her mom said and gave a kiss to Bilbo’s curls

“Good night mom” Bilbo kissed her cheek in return 

Once her mom was really gone Bilbo let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and lay on his bed

 _They are not humans, they are dwarves, and they just get shocked, eventually it wears off, or maybe is just Thorin_ Bilbo thought  _...And Thorin is probably the best dwarf there is..._

Bilbo blushed and jumped out of his bed 

 _Were did that come from?!_ Bilbo thought while he tried, and failed, to even out his breathing


	6. Back home and back out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin leaves for home

“I got you the metal pointy things you asked” Bilbo said as he gave Thorin his usual bag that was now filled with nails from stranded ships.

“Thank you” Thorin said and grabbed the offered bag, now that he had recovered he had started to build a small raft to get back to land, not that he was not enjoying being with the merman but he knew he had responsibilities as the Prince, so he had asked Bilbo to bring him a hammer and a sharp object along with the nails.

He worked diligently while feeling the intense gaze of Bilbo as he watched him work with curiosity, Thorin prefered not to look back as he knew he would find the sight completely adorable, today however Bilbo seemed less cheerful.

“I swam ahead and I think I saw some ships, so I guess you will be able to get rescued sooner” Bilbo said sadly.

“You don’t sound very excited, are you by any chance going to miss me?” Thorin said jokingly but was met with silence, he turned and saw Bilbo’s sad expression and a light blush on his cheeks.

The prince stopped what he was doing and kneeled next to a pouting Bilbo, he gently lifted his chin with his hand and looked at the merman in the eye

“I hope you know I plan to come back and visit for I will certainly miss you, that is if you agree” Thorin said, making Bilbo’s smile to come back.

“That would be lovely!” Bilbo hugged Thorin tightly “You must be happy then…” he continued now back to his cheerful self “You are getting back to your family”

“Yes they will be happy to see me, I’m sure they are worried and I want them to know I am perfectly safe” Thorin went back to work “Although if I’m honest I think I could go another week or two without them, they can be pretty noisy, you wouldn’t expect that from the royal line yet here we are” He chuckled.

“Royal?” Bilbo asked curiously and Thorin stiffened, he had hidden that part of him from Bilbo, even if he knew there was no harm to it, he was trained from birth to not hand over that information so freely, however, this was Bilbo, he had saved his life.

Thorin stopped what he was doing and looked straight at Bilbo with a serious look “Yes, royal, for I am Prince Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror the King under the Mountain”

“Prince? Is Thorin then your second name?” Bilbo said innocently.

“It’s not a name, it’s a title given to the royal family, we rule over our people, we protect them and ensure the laws are enforced and to provide them a dignified life”

“So you, handle the affairs of others? Like particular problems?”

“If they are brought upon us then yes”

“So it is like a Thain? Our Thain settles disputes between people and we are the most respectable family in the Shire” Bilbo said proudly.

“We?” 

“Yes my father is the Thain”

The conversation flowed while Thorin went back to his raft and Bilbo just watched him work, until it was time for Bilbo to leave.

“I’ll leave the fish over here, tomorrow I’ll come early to pick you up, I’ll navigate you out of the rocks that surround here and leave you at open sea were I last saw the big ship” Bilbo explained and with one last looked went back to the sea.

-

The next day Bilbo came early to pick up Thorin, he was uneasy again but there was an important matter to mention.

“I don’t think I need to say it but you mustn’t tell anyone about me, or my home, I don’t want to put my people in danger but I know I can trust you” Bilbo said seriously.

Thorin just smiled and closed their distance, Bilbo tried to maintain his serious expression but Thorin’s proximity was making his cheeks to heat up, a warm hand touched his chin and lifted his face, making him watch those deep blue eyes he had come to like so much, so entranced was the merman he gave a slight jolt when he felt soft lips over his own.

Bilbo was surprised by the kiss but immediately melted against Thorin, the later responded by embracing Bilbo against his broad chest, bringing the hobbit merman as close as he could.

It was the prince that broke the kiss yet he kept the merman close and gently joined their foreheads together.

“I would never dream of causing you harm, not when you have saved my life, not when you have become someone so special for me, no danger will come to you or your people from me or my kin, that I promise” Thorin whispered to Bilbo softly.

The pair embraced for a couple of minutes, staring at each others eyes, exchanging kisses and giggling like love sick fools for they were nothing else at the moment. Eventually the pair had to stop and with a happier yet heavier heart they went to get Thorin back to his people.

With a rope, Bilbo steered the raft Thorin was in, evading the sharp rocks that littered the exit, once they finally reached open space the merman appeared nest to Thorin.

“You should head north or south, it’s best your kin not see you coming from this direction, they are still a bit farther ahead, for me, this is as long as I’ll go” Bilbo explained.

A warm hand caressed Bilbo’s damp hair “Thank you, for everything” Thorin said earnestly “I will need to stay some time in land but make no mistake, for I will come back to see you, in thirty sunrises we will meet again here, I doubt I have the skill to navigate those rocks”

Bilbo grabbed the hand that was so gently against his cheek and gave it a kiss. “I will wait for you here”

There were no more words, nor was there any kiss for they both knew the raft Thorin was in could easily flip with much movement, so there was only one last longing look before the prince left to reunite with his family.

-

The whole of Erebor was at the docks to recieve their prince, after two weeks and countless of search parties, they had finally found him in the smallest of rafts and healthy as ever, a raven was sent out so by the time Thorin reached land he was met with cheers, songs and a banquet were all were invited to rejoice at the return of their prince.

Thorin was happy to be reunited with his family and people, he told them he got stranded in a small island were there was a broken ship and he got his raft from there, the trees had enough food for him so he was able to survive, it pained Thorin not being able to tell the truth about his savior yet he knew he had to keep Bilbo safe, which then led to his next topic of conversation.

“Father, it is my wish to remain in the Navy for the coming months”

“Months? You just got back from a horrific experience, yet you want to go back out there?” Thrain said in disbelief.

“It is because of that accident that I must, how will I learn, how can I lead if even the slightest of accidents make me cower behind the stone, this accident has just shown me how much there is left to learn” Thorin said earnestly.

“You are absolutely right, my son, you will be a fine king someday” Thrain squeezed Thorin’s shoulder and gave him a smile.

Barely a week had come past before Thorin was up and ready to go out at sea, many saw bravery and devotion from their prince but he knew better, he was not the image his people painted of him, instead his only devotion was to a curious curly haired creature that he longed to see once more.

The prince had already planned ahead, their route aboard the Orcrist was made to keep the Ereborian waters safe as well as making several stops in order to check their trading routes and several suppliers, amongst the stops he had found the one nearest Bilbo, it was a few hours away, Thorin didn’t know how but he had managed to convince his father of the importance of that stop, making the 3 day stop into a week long one, that would give him enough time to see Bilbo and come back to land, he had promised Bilbo he would come back and he intended to keep it.

-

Bilbo had eagerly waited 30 sunrises, he had time to plan ahead and make sure he had no plans and to have a perfectly respectable reason he was not going to be present the next day, or days even, 

He eagerly waited near the rocks when he finally saw the smallest of rafts, the fog prevented the passenger from seeing Bilbo but Bilbo could perfectly see him, not wanting to risk being seen, Bilbo saw the rope hanging from the front and knew Thorin had left it there just for him, he grabbed it and moved the raft, evading the sharp rocks and taking them to the safety of the cove.


End file.
